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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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[…Wake… up… dear!]
A voice echoed in my head.
It pricked at my consciousness like a needle.
I tried to ignore it, covering my ears, but the voice only grew louder.
[…Wake up… dear… now… quickly… now!]
I continued to sleep.
The semester was over, and I was finally free.
‘…Wait, the semester’s over?’
A sudden flicker of unease.
As it stirred my dormant consciousness…
The faint voice became clearer.
[Dear! Wake up! You’ll miss the shuttle!]
‘…Huh?’
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The start of summer break.
The academy provided shuttle buses in the morning to transport students back home.
It was a small courtesy for those who lived far away.
But this courtesy only extended to the morning.
After that, you were on your own, either getting picked up or taking public transport.
It was currently 1 PM.
All the shuttles were long gone.
The only person left at the shuttle station was the staff member, who was looking at me with pity.
[You drank two cases of beer and passed out?!]
‘Damn it, someone used their ultimate skill, Petrification, on me! That’s why I’m like this!’
I bickered with Piece as I walked away from the shuttle station.
[So, what are you going to do?]
‘What else? Take public transport.’
I walked away from the academy.
It was an empty wasteland, but after walking for about 30 minutes…
I finally spotted a bus stop, an oasis in the desert.
There’s always a way to survive.
[…Is that electronic display board supposed to be blank?]
‘It’s cleaner than my exam paper.’
I thought to myself.
Countless people traveled on the first day of summer break.
As a courtesy, there were restrictions on bus operations around the academy.
That’s why the electronic display board was blank, so much so that I wondered if it was even turned on.
And coincidentally, the taxis were on strike that day.
So here I was, stranded and alone.
[It’s difficult to get home these days.]
‘I’ll just walk. It says it’ll take about an hour, according to the map.’
[…Isn’t that a typical “stranded traveler” cliché?]
‘You believe in clichés in a nonsensical story like this?’
[That’s surprisingly convincing.]
Were there even any clichés these days?
Absolutely not.
And I was certain of one thing:
‘It’s harder to get stranded than for Nopia to go mainstream.’
[You’re right. Give up on going mainstream.]
‘Who even gets stranded in Korea? It’s ridiculous.’
I left the bus stop and started walking along the road.
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I’m an idiot.
I didn’t even know where I was.
‘Help me.’
[Idiot.]
I realized something was wrong when I checked the map app again.
The estimated travel time from the bus stop was an hour and a half.
By car.
And assuming that 15 minutes by car translates to about an hour on foot…
It would take about four hours, excluding any unexpected variables.
[That map app is useless. It’s giving directions in a straight line, cutting through a mountain.]
‘It’s telling me to jump off a cliff to reach my destination?’
[It must think your destination is heaven.]
‘It’s a direct route, I’ll give it that.’
I gave up on the map app and just followed the road signs.
But how accurate could road signs be for someone walking?
My starting time was approximately 1:30 PM.
It was currently 5:30 PM.
But there wasn’t a single familiar landmark in sight.
Not even a trace of civilization.
I was lost.
‘…Where am I even going to sleep?’
[Don’t even think about sleeping on the streets! Find a solution!]
‘I can’t even get back to the academy now. Should I just give up?’
[No! You’ve only had your nickname for one chapter!]
Just then, a black car approached from behind, honking loudly.
It was a well-maintained car, its paint still glossy despite the late afternoon sun.
The interior was completely dark, as if it didn’t allow a single ray of light.
The honking grew louder and more frequent.
It was getting closer, that’s why it was getting louder, that was understandable…
But why was it honking so aggressively?
‘What the hell? Who is this asshole honking at me?’
[Indeed. You’re not even in the middle of the road.]
The car sped past me, barely missing me.
[Are you alright?]
‘These bastards are picking a fight?!’
It was a close call.
I considered memorizing the license plate number, when…
Screech.
The car suddenly stopped a short distance ahead.
As if it had business with me.
[Be careful.]
‘That car’s mine now, bastards. Hand it over.’
I stretched, preparing for a GTA-style carjacking, and slowly approached it.
I looked around. There were no cameras anywhere.
It was a blind spot, a perfect place for some “easy prey.”
[Seeing that there are no cameras, you’re thinking ‘I’ve found a sucker,’ aren’t you?]
‘If I beat them up and take the car, it’s borrowing, not stealing.’
I was close enough now.
I enhanced my legs and kicked off the ground.
At the same time, I gauged the distance to the driver’s seat.
About twenty steps.
Far, yet not too far.
As I closed the distance to about ten steps, I enhanced my arms, ready to swing.
Just then, the rear passenger door opened.
“Shinwoo, what are you doing here?”
“…Huh?”
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Two bright red twintails.
Golden eyes that shone even in the dim light.
A wild Hye-ji appeared.
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“Who would be insane enough to walk that distance?!”
“…This insane person.”
“If you need help, you should call someone.”
“But…”
“But what? Spit it out!”
I was currently in Hye-ji’s car.
The ride was smooth and comfortable, the interior spacious and luxurious for a mid-size sedan, and the seats were incredibly comfortable.
Everything was perfect.
Except for the part where Hye-ji was scolding me from the back seat.
“Hye-ji, why were you even driving by there?”
“I left something at the dorm, so I went to pick it up and was on my way home.”
[You really didn’t think of asking for help? Your brain must be smooth.]
‘You’re not exactly a genius either, Piece.’
Then, I remembered the car that had aggressively honked at me earlier.
“Why did you drive past me like that? It was dangerous.”
“You were ignoring me, so I told them to get your attention.”
That was clearly a threat, not just getting my attention.
As expected, her way of thinking was different.
“If you honk at me like that again, the next time I see you will be at your funeral.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility if you lose a limb or two.”
“So you’ll reattach them if they fall off?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“…”
[You might want to stock up on prosthetic limbs.]
‘…Don’t assume my limbs will fall off.’
I ignored her ominous words and looked out the window.
She spoke again,
“So, what’s your address? I’ll take you home.”
Suddenly, I recognized the scenery.
It wasn’t that far now; I could walk from here.
“Drop me off here.”
“I said I’ll take you home. Where do you live?”
“It’s too far from your house. I can walk from here.”
“Just tell me.”
“It’s really fine. Don’t worry about it. I can walk.”
I didn’t want to trouble her any further, but…
“Tell me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her eyes were filled with a chilling intensity.
She wouldn’t let me go until I told her my address.
I had no choice but to reveal it.
“It’s not that far.”
“From your house?”
“Yeah. Since I’m already here, can I visit your house?”
“My house? Really?”
There wasn’t anything special about my house.
And I wasn’t really comfortable having guests over.
But…
“…I’ve never had any close friends, so I’ve never been to anyone’s house before.”
Her words made it impossible for me to refuse.
The atmosphere in the car suddenly became heavy.
Even the driver coughed awkwardly.
“Is that… okay?”
“…If I refuse now, I’d be a huge asshole. Fine, come on over.”
“Really? Thank you!”
[Why are you hesitant about inviting Hye-ji to your house?]
‘That goddamn CD Old Man Kang-hyuk gave me is still in my room.’
[Are you an idiot?! Why do you still have that thing?!]
‘I haven’t found the right time to throw it away. This is bad.’
Hye-ji coming over was a done deal.
I had to clean my room, and fast.
“My room’s a bit messy since I’ve never had guests before.”
“…So I’m the first?”
“Yeah. Do you mind if I quickly clean up?”
“No, no! Take your time!”
Thankfully, I had bought myself some time.
Hye-ji replied cheerfully, but…
The driver, in contrast, groaned uncomfortably.
We finally arrived.
It was 6:30 PM.
Dinner time.
“This is it.”
“Really? It’s not that far from my place.”
She leaned forward and spoke to the driver,
“I’ll get off here too! I’ll walk home later!”
“…Alright, but don’t stay out too late.”
His tone was strangely strained despite his agreement.
I wondered why, but I had to get inside, so I got out of the car.
The sedan drove away, shrinking into a small dot in the distance.
“Should we just go in without calling?”
“They’re probably not going to answer anyway. Let’s just go.”
As I stood before the door, I realized I couldn’t remember the passcode.
It was understandable since I had been locked away in a different place for six months.
But my hand instinctively entered the code.
As if my body remembered even though my mind didn’t.
“There’s nothing special about my house, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“I’m still excited! This is my first time.”
“Well, visiting a friend’s house is a rare occasion.”
“…Yeah… a friend. Damn it.”
[You’re really clueless, dear.]
‘Aren’t we closer than colleagues or classmates?’
[Ugh, this idiot.]
Hye-ji’s eyes darkened slightly, but getting inside was more important.
The door clicked open as the code was accepted.
I saw two people sitting at the dining table, about to have dinner.
One was a man.
Black hair streaked with gray, and deep wrinkles around his eyes.
The other was a woman.
She looked young, her lustrous jade-colored hair cascading down her shoulders.
She was about to pick up some side dishes with her chopsticks.
It seemed they had just started their meal.
They stopped and stared at me.
I stared back and said,
“…Who are you?”
They were complete strangers.
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